Aaliyah
stretched her long legs as her arm reached out to the spot next to
her, reaching further and cracking open one eye, staring at the
frequently bare space. She closed her eye as she rolled over,
curling up and ready to fall back to sleep.

Outside
in the living room, Lucifer dismissed a demon from his home, hearing
the front door shut softly. He slipped his hands into his pants
pockets, gazing at his table just as a black cat appeared, sitting
calmly. "She's relatively distressed that she couldn't find
you in her apartment, or anywhere around that area."

"I
knew she would react in such a way," Pooka answered.

"I
found it unforeseen that you actually gathered up the valor to leave
her. I got the feeling from you that you cared about her."

"I
still do," he answered slowly, "but with the awareness of knowing
that she was growing closer to you–"

"Ah,
you hate me that much?"

"I
never knew I could hate someone so much until you ruined my life. I
made the choice to leave. I spent many years avoiding you–and just
my luck; you meet and decide to have the woman that has been sharing
her home with me for a few years. There is no way I could stand
being near such a malicious bastard such as yourself."

His
lips gradually formed a forbidding smirk; "I suggest you watch your
tongue with me. It'd be effortless for me to bind yourself to this
place,
and you would have no choice but to be near me. So, you do not plan
to return to her?"

Trepidation
struck him, causing him to stand on all four and inch away, "…No.
I have no intention to return."

§

"A
few days ago, Vance asked me to move in with him," Aaliyah blurted,
looking at Belle, "and I didn't really know what to say."

She
let out an impulsive laugh, "The answer is clearly no.
William asked you the same question multiple times and each time you
told him no,
so it's no with Vance Drake." Belle tilted her head when Aaliyah
didn't reply from the passenger seat, both of them planning to see
a new movie that came out. "Right?" She pressed, honking at the
driver in front of them that chose to sit at a green light. She shook
her head, pressing her foot on the pedal as the driver returned his
or her attention back to traffic.

"I don't know, to tell
you the truth."

"Why don't you know? You answered
quickly
whenever William asked you to move in with him, and you two dated way
longer than your current time with Vance."
"I was scared to
move in with William, scared that he'd relapse and screw everything
up. I was always indecisive about him. How is...he? William, that
is."

"He asked me about you a while ago too. I told him
you were doing all right. I talked to him a few days ago. He's
currently out of town since his aunt fell ill and she had to go to
the hospital since it's serious and she's pregnant and all that
jazz."

Aaliyah nodded, knowing exactly which aunt William
had gone to see. While they were dating, of course she met his
family, and they welcomed her with open arms. She loved his family,
sometimes more than her own, not including Jessy. "I see..."

"Oh!
About Pooka...have you seen any sign of him?"

"No," she
answered despondently, leaning her temple against the window, "not
at all. I haven't seen any black cats wandering around, I politely
asked my neighbors if they would look out for him, and some reported
back and said that they haven't seen him either. What if he's
starving, or cold, or got hit by something? Why would he even run
away?"

"I don't know...he was awfully attached to you.
Are you sure no one cat napped him?"

"No, I always lock my
front door...and when I got home that day, the door was locked and it
didn't look like anyone got in. Besides, who breaks in and only
steals my cat when I have a few more things to offer in my apartment?
I think he possibly slipped out when I opened the door or
something..."

"I don't know what to tell you. I never
expected Pooka to ever run away from home, but hey, cheer up. Maybe,
with any luck, he found a new home and someone is taking care of him,
or maybe he'll find his way back home. Don't think
negatively..."

"Yeah..."

"BUT back to what we
were
talking
about, Mr. Drake, has he been pestering you about moving in?"

"No.
He mentioned it once and I said that I would think about it, so he's
left it alone. A big part of me is wanting to say yes—"

"Then
yes it is, Aaliyah! I understand that moving in is a big step in a
relationship, but hey, sometimes you just have to take that step and
see where everything goes, and if it turns out to be a mistake, then
so be it. Everyone makes them."

Aaliyah chuckled, removing
her head from the window to look at her best friend, "And since
when did you become so good at giving advice?"

The brunette
shrugged, switching lanes, "It seems that everyone is always coming
to me with their problems and stories, so I have to give something
good back, right?" 'This
guy is more serious about her than I thought it seems…' She
smiled a bit, glancing at her, "Whatever decision you make, I'll
support you on it."

§

Vance
exited the boardroom, exchanging hand shakes with his business
partners as he donned a small smile, giving his goodbyes as he
motioned for Ajax and Aiden to follow. They submissively followed his
order, Aiden stretching his arms and accepting a piece of gum from
the blonde beside him. He popped it into his mouth, staring at
Lucifer's back. "Man, that meeting was BOR-ing. I almost fell
asleep."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Lucifer
replied.

Aiden brushed aside the remark, "The meeting was
silly. Those vampires act as if they couldn't call and say 'hey,
we think it would be a great idea to put up more companies and place
specialized windows that would prevent our fellow vampires from
turning into dust.'"

"I thought vampires were content
with lurking in dark places," Ajax spoke up softly, "why don't
they just put curtains up and turn on all the lights?"

"That's
exactly
what
I wanted to say! At least someone is on the same brainwave as me
today. Lucifer, don't you agree?"

"If you were paying
more attention in the meeting, you would've heard the reasoning for
why they want more of those spell influenced windows. The vampire
species may enjoy darkness, but many of them wish to be able to see
the sunlight every now and then."

"What a sob story,"
Aiden murmured, tossing his gum wrapper on the ground as they exited
the building. Both of them stopped walking when Lucifer stopped dead
in his tracks, standing beside the limo wordlessly. Aiden and Ajax
exchanged looks at the abrupt stop, Aiden opening his mouth to ask
what the problem was, but was cut short when Lucifer sent him a look
over his shoulder.

'It's
been four weeks and she still isn't over that stupid cat.'
"I need you two to do something."

"As if we could say
no," Aiden replied, smiling faintly. "What is it?"

"I
need you two to search and fetch me a cat."

"...A cat?"
Ajax asked, raising a brow.

"Preferably a black kitten,"
he added, the driver getting out and opening the door for Lucifer as
he took a step closer. The demon sent a smile at both Ajax and Aiden,
the two of them nodding at the demon. Aiden scratched his head, "A
kitten? For what?"

"If I wanted you to know, then I
would've given my reason to begin with. Find one; bring it to my
office. I give you two an hour. It shouldn't be that
difficult."

"Ugh! Why a time limit?"

"Because
if I didn't give you one as if you were some child, you would screw
around and blow off my order."

Ajax nodded, getting a look
of bother from the red headed demon standing next to him. "But why
do I have to go with him?"

"To make sure he actually does
something right and doesn't get sidetracked." He climbed into the
limo, the driver shutting the door and rounding the car to get into
the drivers seat. Aiden and Ajax shared baffled looks before walking
off together in search for a pet store after the limo sped off.

Aiden
scratched the back of his neck, making a face of displeasure, "A
kitten. What a waste of time. Why does he need one anyway? I could be
doing something else much more worth my time."

"Like
what?"

"I don't know. Probably you," he said
candidly.

Ajax let the innuendo slide, changing the topic back
without missing a beat, "Didn't that cat—Alexander, leave
Aaliyah?"

Aiden rubbed his chin, "Oh...right...I'm
pretty sure Aaliyah mentioned it a few days ago when she came in. Hm.
Lucifer giving something to someone else? He hardly ever gave me
anything good for my birthdays growing up...but then again, it's
Aaliyah
and
he seems to favor her over me...and he raised me for crying out
loud!"
"Yes, but he doesn't refer to her as a pain in the
ass."

"It doesn't help that you side with him..."

§

The
next night, Aaliyah skipped out on the opportunity to attend a
banquet alongside Vance Drake, taking the offer to spend dinner with
her brother when he asked. Her step dad had mentioned that Jessy
wasn't eating much, but they were helping him as much as he can to
get attuned back into the lifestyle of being in his wheelchair. Her
mother had nothing to say to her as they all sat at the dinner table.

In
the back of her mind, Aaliyah pondered what happened to the woman
that wanted to 'fix things' when Jessy became able to walk.
Their mother kept conversation short and sweet with the two males
sitting at the table while an uncomfortable blanket loomed over their
heads. Jessy finished his food first, pushing away from the table
and excusing himself quietly, a smile coming onto his face when
Aaliyah did the same, scooting away from the table in her chair.
Following Jessy into his room, she shut the door, sitting down on his
bed and crossing her legs.

"So,
how's school?"

"Boring,
teachers are jackasses…you know, the norm," he said with a smile,
watching as she picked up some of his artwork. "Art has the only
bearable teacher. She's cool. She doesn't treat me like a
kid—and she doesn't treat me like I'm disabled. What about
you?" He wiggled his eyebrows, "And Vance Drake? Aaliyah, I
still need to meet this guy."

"And
you can. He has an elevator."

"Are
you staying with him?"

"He's
asked me to move in with him…but I haven't given an answer,"
she replied, flipping through his sketches of scenery, a few
memorable views of the high school he went to since she once attended
the same school. "I'm over there a lot, so I may as well,
right?" She finished, laughing a bit, their eyes flying to the
door, as it swung open, cutting their time alone short. Her laughter
ceased when the open door exposed their mother, and she sighed,
placing his sketches down beside her.

"Vance
Drake, that womanizing pig? How come I never heard of you seeing
him?"

Aaliyah
scratched near her ear, her eyes roaming around the room. "Usually,
mom, when people eavesdrop, they do it while keeping themselves
unnoticed…"

She
crossed her arms, a frown coming to her mouth, "Don't get smart
under my roof, Aaliyah."

A
look of uncertainty crossed Jessy's feature as he glanced between
the two, sensing an argument, and when Aaliyah argued, things tended
to fly out of her hand and at other people. "Then don't invite me
to this house."

"I
didn't invite you, it was your brothers idea."

"And
you could've said no to him. Simple as that," she mumbled, "and
since you never bothered to help me money wise, never took and still
doesn't take time out to call and check up on me, or bothered
helping me move my things into my apartment, I don't really see the
need in telling you anything
about my life and what I'm doing with it."

"Handsome,
but his ways make him look repulsive. He's probably crawling with
sexually transmitted diseases and here you are, Aaliyah, dating the
bastard. He's your boss, none the less—what a slutty, cliché
situation."

Jessy
threw his hands into the air, exasperated, "Mom, come
on,
don't say that—I invited Aaliyah over to have a good time and
you're fucking it all up!"

Her
mouth dropped open, appalled, "Watch your language, Jessy!"

"Well—Jesus,
can't Aaliyah just stop by without having you bitch and moan at
her?"

She
rubbed her temples, and Aaliyah hid her grin with her hand, knowing
that his language was just adding fuel to the fire. "And I bet you
get this attitude from your sister. She was the exact
same
way as a teenager, but more of a screw up because she chose to live
in sin."

"Oh,
yes, mom, I'm quite the screw up," Aaliyah put in, "I graduated
high school with decent grades. I got into college, I have a high
paying job as a secretary to a billionaire—"

"That
you're probably sleeping with," she spat out rancorously, Jessy
groaning as he let his head fall back with his hand on his forehead.
Aaliyah got up from the bed, needing to leave the house before
someone—most likely her mother—earned a slap to the face.

"Yeah—actually,
I am," Aaliyah replied, kissing Jessy's cheek, "and I love
every minute of it." She ignored the sound of disgust that left
her mother, smiling at Jessy, "I'm gonna get outta here, but I'll
call you and you can come by his place and meet him, okay?" Jessy
nodded, giving his mother a small glare before rolling his way out of
his room, following Aaliyah to the front door. She grabbed her coat,
sliding her arms through the sleeves, her brown eyes wandering over
to her mother as she stood a few feet away, and a thwarted look on
her face.

Jessy
handed her purse over to her, glancing at their mother as Aaliyah
continued, "I won't bother coming by anymore. What's the
point, right? You never have anything good to say to me, if anything
at all. Try contacting me when you pull your head out of your ass,
and maybe we can work something out. Nobody's perfect mom—even
you, so stop acting as if you're all high and mighty." Jessy
murmured his goodbye to her after she stood for a few seconds,
waiting for her mother to say anything—to stop her from walking out
of the door at least, but that never happened.

Jessy
closed and locked the door, sighing loudly as he leaned his cheek
against his palm, "You know mom, it'd help if you'd look past
the wrong things she's done in life and actually got to know and
accept her. I don't think she's as bad as you make her out to
be."

"Please,"
she grumbled, "her new mistake is ever getting together with that
man. I won't accept anything she does, because she never thinks
before she acts."

§

Aaliyah
frowned as she stopped at a red light, searching through her purse
for headache medicine. Only her mother could succeed in giving her a
headache so quickly. She found the medicine, popping the top off and
dumping one pill on her palm, popping it into her mouth and
swallowing it dryly. She placed the top back on, glancing at the
light and reaching for her phone, checking her missed calls, finding
a missed call from a friend.

'Where
are you?'

She
jumped in her seat, dropping her phone and whipping her head around
her car to see where the voice came from. The light turned green and
she slowly pressed onto the pedal, calming her heart when she
realized whom the voice belonged to. 'Can't
you…get a hold of me like a normal person?' When
Lucifer didn't reply, she rolled her eyes, 'but
wait, I forgot, you're not what I would call normal. You scared
me. I'm not use to this…telepathic crap yet!'

'Why
not?'

'…It's
creepy! The whole concept of someone getting inside like that-'
Her
heart skipped a beat, her fingers tightening on the steering wheel as
she felt fingers weave themselves through her hair, her head turning
sharply as her car swerved, her brown eyes snapping back to the road
when she saw Lucifer in her passenger seat, "I—damnit, you almost
made me hit
that taxi! Why are you just popping up everywhere?!"

"You
said that you didn't like the telepathic 'crap'," he spoke in
a dry tone, his fingers trailing leisurely to her neck.

"That
whole demonic talent of teleportation is just as creepy," she said,
loosening her grip on the wheel, his fingers gently massaging the
base of her neck, "and you nearly gave me a heart attack. Next
time, at least give me a warning
until I become completely use to you…just appearing."

"How
am I to warn you if you dislike me in your head?"

Laughter
erupted from her mouth, "What a silly question. You could always
try using a phone," she pointed out, sending him a smile. "I
thought you had a banquet to attend."

"I
decided to leave early." He removed his hand from her, "I have
something for you," he said, her smile remaining on her lips.

"A
present? That's somewhat unexpected."

He
wordlessly agreed, his eyes traveling out of the window to land on a
group of teenagers outside of a building, the group consisting of
lower class demons that were laughing together. "Let's head to
my place-which reminds me of what I had asked you."

"About
moving in, right?" She turned a corner, biting her bottom lip
lightly, "Okay," she added with a shaky voice, looking at him for
a short time. "Okay," she reiterated, a smile lighting up her
face again, but he picked up on the slight hesitance coming from her.
"…I'll move in," she finished, "it's a big step for me,
but I'm willing to take the chance and see how things go."

In
the past, a variety of women had stayed at his place, but as soon as
Aaliyah vocally agreed to move in with him, a feeling came over him
that no other woman had accomplished in pulling out of him.

§

Aaliyah
removed her coat as she sat down on his couch, placing it on her lap,
"My brother would like to meet you sometime soon."

"Is
that so?"

He
headed down the hallway, listening to her as he entered the guest
room, "He may not openly act concerned and overprotective, but he
likes to check out the men I date to make sure they treat me right.
I think that all brothers are like that, though." She blinked when
she felt something tickle her cheek, turning her head to come face to
face with large blue eyes and a tiny face of black fur. The black
kitten cried in her face, its little body starting to wriggle, as it
got restless in his grasp. Her hands slowly reached out, taking the
kitten away from him and staring at it before her wide eyes returned
back to him.

He
became irritated after a minute of staring, his eyes narrowing,
"What? You don't want it?"

"Uh—yes,
I do! It's adorable," she murmured sincerely, her gaze dropping
down to the black kitten in her lap, innocently chewing on her
finger. She estimated that he was no older than five or six weeks
old. "You really got this for me?"

"Is
that so hard to believe?"

"Yes,"
she replied directly.

"…"
He stood in place behind
the couch, his hands resting on the back of it. "Aiden and Ajax
picked it up for me, but I," he was fleetingly at a loss for words,
and she noticed, "it would help getting over your missing cat,
correct?"

She
glanced up at the man, carefully placing the kitten on the couch as
she stood, rounding the couch to stand next to him, soundlessly
kissing his cheek, "It was thoughtful of you." Her eyes caught
sight of the abundant cat toys in the hallway, along with a toilet
paper roll that was torn to shreds. He followed her stare, finding
the amount of toys absurd, but Aiden got carried away, and he was
none to happy to find a few things already chewed on and torn apart.

"He's
already proving to be a bit of a nightmare," he observed with a
monotone voice.

She
couldn't help but to smile, looking back at the unnamed kitten as
he stood on the edge of the couch, his rear wiggling before he chose
to leap off of the couch. "Thank you," she said softly, "will
you help me pick a name for him?"

"I'm
not too good with naming things," he said nonchalantly, "so I
think you're on your own when it comes to naming the troublesome
creature."

"You're
being dramatic. If he's such
a
troublesome thing," Aaliyah bent down with a teasing smile on her
face, picking up the explorative kitten, "then you shouldn't have
gotten him. He'll be trained to behave in no time." Beginning
his squirming once again, ready to look for more things to get into,
she placed him down.

"I
wanted to do this, Aaliyah," he divulged, grabbing her full
attention. "…Does it make you happy?" He had forced the words
out, still getting use to the idea of allowing his heart get the
better of him. He wanted to withdraw his question as soon as it
slipped from his mouth, having an infrequent moment of thinking out
loud, but pushed that all away when she nodded, her beautiful smile
that he couldn't get enough of lighting up her face. He was
warming up to her, and it made her insides dance around satisfyingly.

His
lips met hers, and she gave into his kiss, pressing her body against
his as he relished the sweetness of her mouth.

He
cared about her, and Aaliyah realized this. Was it love? She wasn't
sure, but perhaps it was heading in the direction she desired. She
knew that he wanted her around, wanted to take pleasure in her
company, and he didn't yearn for any other in the meantime.

For
now, where they were, they could both say that they were content, and
that was enough.

-

-

-

-

-

§

Aaliyah
sat in silence on the park bench, a tender smile on her pink lips as
her eyes scanned the playground. Boisterous laughter and giddy
squeals filled the air as children ran around, entertaining
themselves. Her brown eyes settled on a small four year old boy in a
sandbox, his black and red uniform making him stand out among the
crowd of casually dressed kids. A hint of a smile graced his lips as
well as he patted the sand gently, attempting to make a sand castle.
Little girls nearby giggled and watched him, far too timid to
approach him as he played by himself. He was in his own little world.
He paid no mind to the humans surrounding him.

She
watched as a part of his castle crumbled, the smile slipping from his
face almost instantly. His dark brown eyes lifted to his mother, his
messy bangs falling over them. The smile sprung back onto his face
and he stood, brushing off his hands on his pants before running in
her direction. As he made his way across the grass, and his feet met
the cement, he stumbled, gasping as he fell. Aaliyah stood, startled
as she hurried to him, bending down and helping him stand, checking
the damage done to his small hands.

"Cole...you're
so clumsy," she teased, her eyes flickering to his.

"Father
says I get it from you," he shot back with an innocent smile, his
eyes falling to his hands. Aaliyah watched as the scratches closed,
leaving behind gravel and a bit of dirt.

"All
better," she murmured, kissing his forehead before wiping what was
left on his hands. She stood and he took her hand, pointing down the
path that led to an ice cream stand, trees outlining the pathway.

"Please?"

She
couldn't defy his chubby cheeks, his seemingly innocent eyes, and
his big smile that always
won people over. "Okay, but let's not make a mess like last
time!"

He
tugged on her hand, "It wasn't my fault the sun melted it so
fast! Oh, mama, is Aiden coming over today?"

"Possibly."
Aiden adored Cole, seeing him as a little brother that could be a
pain in his ass most of the time.

"Hm…what
about aunt Belle?"

Her
eyes darted down to her son after he mentioned her best friend,
recalling the incident that took place a month ago. She never told
Belle about Vance Drake and who the billionaire truly was. But she
knew she would find out somehow, and she found out through Cole.

"Oh,
shit!"
Belle let more curses come out of her mouth after clumsily knocking
over the vase on her island when she placed too much stuff next to
it, causing it to be pushed off. She grumbled, her eyes lifting when
she heard small feel patter on her floor, her mouth opening to stop
the small boy before he entered the kitchen, but she was too late.

He
cried out as the glass pierced his skin painfully, his foot throbbing
as he sat down, lifting his foot up to his face to see the injury.
Tears pricked at the corner of his dark eyes, looking at the brunette
as she rushed to him, "Shit! Um–your mom is going to kill
me
and blame me for not keeping a careful eye on you," she hastily let
out, taking his foot in her hands tenderly to see how bad the wound
actually was. The piece of glass sticking out of his foot caused her
lunch to toss in her stomach, placing his foot down carefully and
ignoring the blood that had gotten on her floor and hands.

As
she stood up, her eyes swiftly scanned around the kitchen for the
phone, wanting to let Aaliyah know she would be taking him to the
hospital. She went and picked it up, glancing over her shoulder to
comfort Cole, although he was no longer making any pained noises.
Her panic was traded with bewilderment as her body froze, the glass
leisurely moving out of his foot and dropping onto her floor. Her
eyes locked on the wound, she watched, her body beginning to tremble
as the large opening closed, blood left behind.

Cole
lifted his eyes.

A
small amount of words were exchanged between the both of them, and
Belle unconsciously kept her distance from the boy until Ajax came to
retrieve him to take him home. He didn't waste any time in telling
Aaliyah how his day went when he arrived.

"Mama,
I stepped on a piece of glass today!"

"Wha–"

"But
aunt Belle made sure I was okay. She was so
worried."

"You
mean...she saw–"

"She
stared at me until Ajax came to get me! Like I'm some monster or
something." His eyes lowered, a touch of sadness coming into his
eyes, "And when I tried to get near her, she looked so scared."

Ever
since the episode, their relationship was put on hold. Belle was
frightened and upset that Aaliyah hid the secret for so long. Belle
never got a good vibe ever since she was introduced to Vance Drake,
but she kept her mouth sealed about her feelings. Sure, she believed
that demons truly existed, but she never wanted to come face to face
with one. Aaliyah was still working on explaining everything to her.

With
Cole, he knew he was half demon. Lucifer made it clear to him. He
was not to tell humans, nor use any of his abilities in public.
Without Aaliyah knowing, there was a private school that strictly
allowed demons, the society unaware of everything that was directly
in front of them. She had to give Lucifer credit. He was behind
numerous companies, many of them owned by demons.

"Three
scoops!" Cole ordered, looking at the man behind the cart.

"Three?"
Aaliyah questioned.

"I
guessed that four would be too many..."

"You're
such a little piggy," she said softly, tapping his nose with her
index finger before giving her attention to the man as he accepted
her money.

"Father
says I get it from you."

"...He
does, huh?"

Cole
grinned before looking at his ice cream, catching that look of
annoyance that flashed across his mothers face. Aaliyah grumbled
underneath her breath as she led him through the park, her eyes
briefly darting to the paparazzi a few feet away, only three of them
snapping shots of Cole and herself. She was already use to it after
all of the years with the
secretive
Vance Drake that people couldn't get enough of. She had also
gotten use to the many demons that she ran into daily.

Few
male demons didn't approve of Lucifer being with a human, let alone
having a child with one, but they weren't foolish enough to voice
their opinions. Those that did,
Aaliyah never saw them ever again and didn't feel like asking what
had happened. She had a clue.

She
didn't get along very well with most of the female demons, which
were jealous on the inside, but would never act upon their jealousy
towards her. Some were very beautiful, and in the past, Aaliyah
found it hard to believe that Lucifer didn't fool around with them,
until Cole set the record straight.

"You
don't have to worry about father and other ladies," Cole suddenly
spoke, concentrating on staying in the lines as he colored in his
thick coloring book. Aaliyah lowered the magazine in her hands,
quickly recovering from her look of surprise. Her brows wrinkled,
"Cole, what did I tell you about using that ability?"

His
hand stopped, and his eyes lifted when he heard her stern tone. "I
was worried," he admitted, "so I wanted to see what you were
thinking about. You were thinking about that big boobed demon that
was flirting with father."

She
crossed her legs, leaning forward as she placed her elbow on her knee
and her chin on her palm, "Yeah..."

"How
do people get fake boobies? And why do they get them so big?"

Her
face fell, "Aiden, correct?"

"Yes,
he said she had fake boobies."

Whenever
Cole brought up something he shouldn't be talking about, everyone
knew that it was because of Aiden. "...Back to that ability–no
more, okay? It's not polite."

"So,
you never want to know what father is thinking?" He didn't give
her time to answer, "He doesn't think of others, just you mama.
You're very beautiful! I think you're beautiful than all the
others too!"

So,
maybe it didn't count when he read Lucifer's thoughts. It was
their little secret anyway.

She
stopped in her tracks, her grip loosening on Cole's hand as she
stared ahead, staring at the memorable blonde a few feet away from
her. He stared as well, his eyes darting from her head to her feet
before snapping back up to her face, a smile sliding onto his face.

"It's
been...a long
time,
Aaliyah," William spoke, his grip tightening on the leash that kept
his Siberian husky under control. "A really long time," he added
softly as he closed the distance between them, his eyes dropping down
to the shorter person next to her. His smile lingered as he bent
down eye level to Cole as he finished off his ice cream, his face
unresponsive as he eyed the anonymous man. William stretched his hand
out, but Cole kept his eyes locked with his own eyes, making the
older man uncomfortable. "You must be the Cole I hear so much
about from Belle. I'm Will."

Aaliyah
bit the inside of her cheek, hoping that Belle didn't bring up the
unpleasant incident with Cole, but she calmed herself down, knowing
that she wouldn't do such a thing to her. "He's an old friend,
Cole," Aaliyah said, Cole shaking his hand and pulling away as
William stood up, "and he has a dog! When did you get a dog?"
She laughed, "I remember that you were constantly whining about
wanting a dog–"

He
laughed as well, "But you wouldn't let me because Pooka hated
being around other animals and if
we
were to move in together, I still wouldn't be able to get a dog. I
got him three years ago." Their laughter died down, William
glancing down at Cole when he reached for his dog, getting his hand
licked, "I heard from Belle that your cat disappeared...did it ever
end up coming back?"

Her
smile became tiny, "...No, he never did." A breeze blew gently;
William watching as loose curls were swept across her face, her hand
coming up to brush them away. "What's new with you, Will? Last I
heard from a magazine, you were engaged to some actress, but I didn't
know if it was true or not."

"That
story,
for once, was actually true, but I'm afraid things didn't work
out. We broke of the engagement, and we're seeing different
people. And you! You're still with Vance Drake," he tried
to sound enthusiastic with that last sentence, "and you had a kid
with him. Congrats."

"Thanks...you
look good, Will."

He
gave her a crooked grin, "And you still look good too, Aaliyah."

"If
I may ask…how are you doing-sober wise?"

"Actually…three
years ago, there was a bit of a setback—but it was a tiny setback!
Everything was put back on track after getting more help, but ever
since then, yes, I've been sober."

"That's
great
to
hear…"

"I
try my best." He looked down at his watch, "I have to get going
because I have somewhere to be, but...it was great running into you
after all of this time. I never knew if it would be all right to
call you and just hang out as friends, since we share the same circle
of friends and all. Besides, I didn't want to make Vance Drake
upset or anything."

She
shook her head, "I'm sure he'd understand...and it'd be great
to be friends, Will. Let me give you my cell phone number," she
offered, both of them exchanging phone numbers. Aaliyah placed her
phone back into her purse, giving him one last smile, "I'll see
you around then, sometime soon maybe. We should spend some time
catching up more."

"Definitely."
Cole removed his hand from the dog when William tugged the leash
gently, passing them by with a wave. Cole only stared while Aaliyah
looked down at him, "What was he thinking?"

"That
you were still beautiful, and a part of him wishes that things
never–"

"Aha!
I told you not to read minds, Cole!"

He
made a face, looking up at her in frustration and snatching his away
from hers, "That wasn't fair! Trick question!"

§

Ajax
entered Lucifer's office with a blank expression on his face, his
eyes fleetingly landing on the man that Lucifer was speaking to.
"So," the business man continued, "I'm hoping that Frank
Moray will sign the deal with me to merge companies. Can you imagine
the money that will roll in?"

Identical,
knowing smirks suddenly appeared on the faces of Lucifer and Ajax.

Lucifer
leaned forward, "Oh really?"

§

Lucifer
entered his home with a dull look, meeting silence as he shut the
door. His once preferred dark themed home was now splashed with
colors and pictures that didn't match with the gothic paintings on
every wall. Every picture was of his son, smiling and enjoying
himself. He didn't understand why Aaliyah took so many pictures of
him in such a short time. He didn't look any different, but her
excuse was that she liked capturing memories. He simply rolled his
eyes at the silly reason, a reason that he heard multiple human
mothers say.

His
trench coat disappeared from his arm, appearing on the coat rack
several feet away. He heard a cupboard shutdown the hall and he
headed in that direction, his eyes briefly eyeing a picture in the
hall of Cole on his first day of school. He was upset, his lips
twisted in a scowl, his eyes narrowed, and the background scenery
cloudy and dark. He was miserable that Aaliyah couldn't attend
school with him. Aiden dubbed him a 'mama's boy', and Lucifer
didn't like that. He didn't want him to grow up soft.

He
pushed the bathroom door open slowly, his muscles relaxing as he was
welcomed with the sight of Cole in the tub, Aaliyah kneeling down
with her back to him. She was wearing one of his large shirts out of
habit, her hair thrown into a messy bun. Cole was laughing while he
splashed water, the splashing ceasing quickly.

"Ow–Cole,
you got soap in my eye," Aaliyah whined, using the back of her hand
to rub her burning eye.

"Oops–"
He spotted Lucifer, a smile full of delight spreading across his
face. "He's home!"

Aaliyah
looked over her shoulder with her one eye, returning her attention to
Cole as he stood up.

"Am
I done? Am I done?"

She
poured water over his head to rid of all the soapsuds, pulling him
out and handing him his black robe. He struggled with tying it shut,
deciding to leave it open as he ran over to his tall father. He bent
down, tying Cole's robe shut before picking him up. As the tub
drained, Aaliyah made her way to the sink, rinsing her eye out as
Cole rambled on about his day, who made him upset, and accusing him
of missing dinner yet again. She grabbed a washcloth, wiping her
face as she watched Lucifer with Cole.

Never
did she expect him to
be so gentle with another. He wasn't one to show emotion either,
but when it came to Cole, displays of numerous emotions were let out.
He smiled more often, laughter even occurred when Cole blurted
random things or tripped over his own two feet, and the look of worry
entered his eyes when Cole was hurt, despite the fact that he knew he
would heal soon after.

Handing
Lucifer a small towel, he placed it over Cole's damp hair, water
droplets dripping from the tips of his inky black hair. Cole reached
up, drying his own hair as Lucifer exited the bathroom and headed
down the hall to his room, nudging the door open with his foot,
placing Cole onto his feet and watching him run over to his large
bed, reaching for Rigby, their black cat. He patted him on his head
twice before hurrying to his dresser, pulling it open and pulling out
a pair of bottoms and a long sleeve shirt, stripping out of his robe
and putting his pajamas on.

He
struggled with his shirt, getting his arm lost in the wrong hole,
Aaliyah fixing his top correctly and watching his head poke out, his
hair wild. "I want a dog!"

"A
random request," Lucifer spoke lowly, remaining at the door, his
lean figure leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "I
thought you were satisfied with the cat."

"Yeah,"
Cole replied, looking to his bed and watching Rigby stretch his
limbs, "but Rigby can't chase sticks and bring them back to me."

A
grin full of mirth came to Aaliyah's face, a slight smile nearly
cracking on Lucifer's lips at the bizarre answer. Cole made his way
to his bed, climbing onto it and sliding underneath his covers,
looking at Lucifer, "Think about it while you sleep. Tell me
tomorrow when we wake up," he commanded, his head dropping to his
pillow. As a yawn escaped his mouth and his bedroom darkened, he
stopped his parents by speaking up, "Promise?"

Lucifer
looked over his shoulder to his chatty son, "Promise what?"

"That
you'll think about it! My birthday is in six days!"

"Yes."

"You
promise?"

His
brows wrinkled, "I—"

"You
have to say 'I
promise',
or it doesn't count," he interjected, "a girl at school said
so."

He
fought the urge to roll his eyes, murmuring the two words that Cole
wanted to hear with a faint smile on his lips, closing his bedroom
door until there was a small crack when he got a simple 'okay' as
a reply. Turning off the hallway light, he entered his bedroom,
closing the door, his eyes on Aaliyah as she sat on the edge of their
bed.

She
released her silken hair from the messy bun, her locks of hair
falling to her mid back. "He's rather demanding when he wants to
be. I wonder who he gets it from."

"I
think he inherits most of his traits from his mother, personally."
Aaliyah grinned, knowing that Cole for sure inherited his
sometimes-tough behavior and looks from Lucifer, looking like a
miniature Lucifer whenever he glared or got angry.

Lucifer
faintly heard the creak of Cole's bedroom door, soft thuds sounding
as the black cat ran down the hallway, heading in the direction of
where his food and water were located. "What's with his sudden
need of a dog?"

"We
ran into William today after picking up Cole from school, and he had
his dog with him. Cole took a liking to it right away."

"William…that
ex boyfriend of yours?" He removed his clothes from his lean form,
the clothes vanishing to the hamper in the corner of the room,
walking to his bed and climbing in, sitting up against the headboard,
"Any feelings reawakening since you saw him?"

"Don't
be ridiculous…that relationship with him ended so long ago," she
said, crawling over to her spot next to him, folding her legs
underneath her as she sat, facing him.

"You
still find him attractive."

She
rolled her eyes brown eyes, "Oh, as if you don't find gorgeous
models and actresses unbelievably gorgeous?"

"It's
all smoke and mirrors at the end of the day, and I'm positive that
they're relatively hideous up close and without make-up."
Aaliyah laughed at the guileless answer, the way he was so serious
when he spoke.

"Like
any other human, I do
notice when a good looking person is in my presence, and William is a
good looking man, but it doesn't mean that my feelings have come
back for him just because I ran into him. You have nothing to worry
about. I won't leave and run away with him."

"I'm
not worried."

'Mmhm…'

"Your
brother called after you left to take Cole to school. I forgot about
it."

She
looked at the time, pulling the covers up to her waist, her bare legs
developing goose bumps, "I'll just call him back tomorrow…did
you speak with him?"

"He
said something about a birthday—"

Her
smile started to fade from her face, the upcoming birthdays including
Cole and her mother. After their dispute years ago, her mother never
tried to patch up their relationship. When Aaliyah found out—by
surprise—that she was with child, she called her mother to let her
know of the news, and all she received was another lecture, getting
told of her new wrongdoing that she wanted no part of, even if Cole
was going to be her first grandchild. Her mother hung up, and
despite how many times Jessy tried getting the two together, their
mother never budged, and never saw Cole or asked about his well-being
whenever Jessy visited home.

"Are
you listening?"

His
deep voice broke her from her thoughts, and she nodded a little, "My
mothers birthday…it's a few days after Cole's birthday."

"Jessy
said that it wouldn't be so bad to send her a birthday wish or
something like that for once, to help mend things, but," the lights
went off in the room, "if you ask me, there's no need for you to
continue hassling someone that doesn't want anything to do with
you." She silently agreed with his words, feeling his lips
brushing against her temple, than her lips, her lids sliding shut as
she cupped his face in her slender hands, feeling the stubble on his
cheeks due to a few days of skipping shaving.

Her
heart soared when he sent his uncommon smiles in her direction, her
heart swelled when he gave tender looks to their son, and her heart
beat madly whenever he was intimate with her. She was in love with
someone she should've never fallen for, and though he never spoke
the three words that women adored hearing from a man, his statements
proved very well what she meant to him.

"I'm
not one to get sentimental, but you want certain things from me, such
as how I feel. I find myself sitting during meetings; imperative
meetings mind you, and the only thing I can find myself thinking
about is you. You annoy the hell out of me when I can't get you
out of my head, when all I want to do is be near you.
You're…important to me, Aaliyah."

Before
he could take the kiss further, feeling his hand sneaking underneath
the covers, she separated from his lips, her eyes staring into his
smoldering eyes, "You know...many people—humans and demons—would
say that none of this is right."

"Do
you agree?"

She
thought the words through, carefully putting them into place as she
answered after a moment of stillness, "In the back of my mind, I
know that all of this isn't right..."

His
response was to smirk his devastatingly handsome smirk, his hand
working on pulling the covers away from her body, the look in his
eyes predatory. "All I can say to that, love, is that from time to
time, the wrong thing can feel so pleasantly right."

-

-

§

fin

-
- - -

Q:
aaliyah didn't ask what happened with the situation between william
and the woman, and if vance had anything to do with it?A:
she came to realize it wouldn't matter to find out. if lucifer did
have a part in what happened, what could she do? she made a deal, and
she can't and doesn't want to leave him anyway.

Q:
sequel?A:
no :O( perhaps a spin off one-shot (?) since people seemed to like
the spin off one-shot (first attempt there...) of jayce from sweet
music.

Q:
what if aaliyah dies? lucifer is immortal, but aaliyah...A:
i didn't think it needed to be discussed. you know, whatever
happens, happens. maybe lucifer will give her the option of
immortality. it's a bit of a cliffhanger and you can end it the way
you want to. i know that the ending has loose ends and i think that
sometimes, not EVERYTHING needs to be pointed out. there's been
movies, books, that has these 'loose ends' and 'unanswered
questions', and it just lets your mind wander at the end. 'i
think this happened' or 'i'm pretty sure they lived happily
ever after', those type of thoughts.

Sadly,
we have reached the ending. I may go back and edit some of this
chapter. To me, it seemed rushed, but that may just be me. Anyone
agree on the rushed bit? Little Cole was introduced, and I really
liked him even if he did have a small role. He's said to be four,
and I don't know if you did,
but if anyone thought that he can talk quite a lot for a four year
old, he's modeled after my little cousin who talks like a little
adult! It's crazy.

I
enjoyed doing this story. This story was fun, my imagination was
free to run wild, and it was an idea that I haven't seen around a
lot. I want to thank everyone
who has reviewed, whether the review was bad or good. It was nice to
see what people did and didn't like about the story, because I
always like hearing what I can improve in a certain story. I also
want to say sorry
for
any mistakes!! They bug me too.

For
any information on future projects, or other stories of mine that you
are reading, always feel free to drop by my website, because it's
updated daily or every other day with status of stories and whatnot.
As
always, reviews are appreciated. If
there's any other questions, feel free to leave them in your review
and I'll PM the answer to you. I'm always up for talking with
people.

Lulu
Jones:
i'm a female! lol. thank you so much for the reviews, and it's
awesome that the story pulled you in and you seem hooked :)Moons-and-Stars:
to hear that the plot is original is just awesome. sometimes i hate
using the same plots since it gets a bit old, and i haven't seen
this type of plot around really. it's great to hear that you're a
fan of my other stories as well. thanks for the review!LilionTheUrbanFairy:
yeah,
a few people also thought the walking thing was a bit harsh, but
hey...things happen and this story isn't all bubbly and lovely i
guess, but it's good to hear that you like vance! and on if aaliyah
thought of the relationship in the long run...hm, good question. i
didn't even think about that, but she probably isn't. she's
taking it all as it comes.sdf:
haha, thanks.zenni:
i'm
glad that you liked the awkwardness of the whole situation. i wanted
it to come out as that way. thanks for your review.Among-the-Vampires:
i like lucifer too. i think he's my first attempt at a 'bad boy',
something a lot of people have been calling him. thanks for liking
the story.LetMeWriteYouAStory:
i think your question will be answered!cassie.
:
wow, thanks. i don't think i ever made someone speechless. i like
how lucifer has more fans when in the beginning, a lot of people were
unsure about him!Out-Spoken-Runaway:
i
can only answer questions so far! i don't want to give anything
away, and sometimes i have the habit of slipping up in answers, so i
try to keep answers short and i ignore questions that may cause me to
talk too much, haha. prefetal position, huh? i'd probably
just...run? if jessy were to give his soul to him, no, lucifer
wouldn't hurt him, but aaliyah doesn't want her brother anywhere
near the point of giving his soul away. it's just something that
bothers her in the back of her mind. she wouldn't be comfortable
letting jessy doing that.eye-kandii:
thanks
:)xSecretRainx:
i was a little confused by your review. you said you hate it when
crap like that happens...what were you talking about? lolLady
R: thanks
:)emotionless-stares:
'aw'...everyone found him saying sorry quite sweet :) i'm
taking it that you did as well.Da
Mihi Basilia Mille: thanks!
means a lot to me :)Serendipty
Through Time: thanks
:)mischalovers:
thanks
for your review :)pop-yur-fcukn-collar.:
bad boys...yeah, they can be pretty irresistible.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.